A Thousand Lives
by Mango Marbles
Summary: Yeul has lived countless lives with Caius by her side. Simple One-shot. Only rated T because of death.


A/N: I don't own Final Fantasy.

This is just something I wrote in a bit of spare time while I though of what to do next for my current story Madness, check it out!

Enjoy and review!

* * *

"Soon, we must continue our journey," he said, not unkindly.

A small girl, cobalt hair tied back and veil covering her face, shook her head. "Not just yet," she murmured.

Like any other time, the man obeyed. She knew he would. She knew much more than she ever wished to.

Etro had chosen Yeul to be a seeress. Many people saw it as a gift. Yeul, and her guardian, Caius, saw it as a curse. Countless times Yeul felt the pain of dying, and countless times Caius held her in his arms through the pain. They never spoke of it though, not out loud at least.

Yeul felt like Caius tried to make up for the times she died, he felt like it was his fault. She could see the regret in his eyes. She never held it against him. Live, see, die, repeat. She was used to it by now.

"It's starting to rain. We should leave, or at least find shelter."

Yeul nodded. Without having to ask, Caius swept her off of her feet and swiftly carried her to a nearby building.

The Archylte Steppe was soon filled with the refreshing scent of rain. Inside a plain room, Caius sat with his back against a wall. Yeul leaned against him, but he showed no sign that he was bothered by the action. Feeling his warmth, Yeul was lulled into a deep, peaceful sleep listening to the rain drops hit the roof of the building. It reminded Yeul that she was still alive.

She might not be later, but at that moment, she was.

* * *

The sun shine illuminated the field of flowers that Yeul and Caius walked through. They had found each other just the day before. Caius, still recovering from the predictable tragedy, had hardly talked. To him, even though Yeul saw herself as the same (she could remember every past life), she was different every time.

Yeul plucked a small, yellow flower from its stem. The simple act had left her with mixed feelings. She had just cut short the flower's life, much the same way Etro had cut every life of her's short. However, in her hand she held a beautiful flower. She could inhale its perfume. She looked back at Caius and offered a small smile, which he returned, before they continued their journey through the fields.

She kept the flower with her. In her heart, she knew that the flower would still be alive once she died. During those final moments, she would give the flower to Caius. Once she made that decision in her mind, she smiled. Caius would have something to remember her by, something materialistic.

She took slow, small steps. She believed that maybe, if she didn't walk fast, then she wouldn't reach her death as fast. If she took slower steps, she'd approach her death slower too. She knew she was fooling herself, but the thought gave her some comfort.

* * *

The time came, then, when Etro's golden symbol covered her eyes. She saw Caius, stabbed by Noel's sword. On the shores of Valhalla, he took his last breath. Somewhere, farther away, Yeul saw herself. She collapsed to the ground. Her body faded away. Oddly, though, she saw only darkness afterwards, devoid of her and Caius.

Yeul saw her original surroundings again. Caius held her close in his arms. "Yeul…" he sounded pained.

Yeul held up her small, yellow flower. "For you."

Caius took the flower, but continued to cradle her body. She felt overwhelmingly tired. She felt something far away pulling her towards itself, and it was painful. She looked at Caius' face and smiled softly. "I saw… our release from eternity…"

Caius' eyes brightened slightly at her words. "How? Tell me how. I'll do anything."

"We die… together…" Yeul took her last breath and fell limp in Caius' arms.

Caius drove Noel's sword through his own heart.

_We die… together…_

The pain lasted only a moment before he felt as if he was being lifted up. It was a warm feeling. When he opened his eyes, he saw a field full of flowers. Everything was unusually bright. He had the feeling that he should wait here, but he didn't know what he was waiting for. He didn't have to wait long to find out.

"Caius!" cried the voice he longed to hear. He turned and saw Yeul running towards him. He immediately covered the distance between them and lifted Yeul into the air, twirling her around.

"Caius!" she cried again, with a true smile on her face. She started laughing. Caius laughed with her. Neither could remember a time when they could be so carefree.

Caius set Yeul down on her feet. "What do you wish to do?"

Yeul took his hand and started walking through the multicolored flowers. The warmth of the sun tickled his skin. Yeul didn't answer at first. She continued to walk at a leisurely pace. The air smelt sweet and Caius realized how long it had been since he had truly paid attention to the fragrance of nature, free from blood.

Yeul stopped and turned to look at Caius, smiling. "When was the last time we could simply enjoy existing?"

Caius tightened his grip on her hand. "That time will never end now. Welcome to eternity, Yeul."


End file.
